PhD Researcher

Phuong Anh Tran

Project based at

Lead Partner Organisation

Collaborative Robots and Humans’ Work: Human attitudes and potential for motivation

Start: May 2023

Expected end date: January 2027

This project is a joint Australian Cobotics Centre and CSIRO project which explores the use of collaborative robots (cobots) within manufacturing environments.

The research aims to understand workers’ experiences of working with cobots or similar robots, and how different configurations of interacting with cobots and robots might impact worker motivation or turnover intentions.

The project will be undertaken as two sequential phases.

• Phase 1 will involve semi-structured interviews with manufacturing workers who have experience operating cobots or similar robotic technology.
• Phase 2 will involve a survey of manufacturing workers. More details about this study will be available later in 2025.

Expected Outcomes

• Insights into the impact of cobot usage on work design characteristics (such as autonomy, and social connectedness at work), and in turn, how this flows through to influence worker outcomes such as workers’ motivation and turnover intention.
• Actionable knowledge for businesses to optimise cobot integration and/or address work design changes to enhance workforce well-being.
• A structured framework for systematically predicting and refining our understanding of how cobots affect employees and different forms of work organisation.
• By shedding light on these dynamics, this research will help organizations design and implement cobot solutions that not only improve efficiency but also foster a safe, engaging, and sustainable work environment.

Supervisory Team

• Principal Supervisor: Associate Professor Penny Williams
• Associate Supervisors: Professor Greg Hearn
• External Supervisor: Dr Claire Mason (CSIRO)

Publications

First Author

• TBC

Other Publications

• TBC

Contact Details

• Email: p27.tran@hdr.qut.edu.au
• Phone: +61 404 723 941